Moving the senior horse across the country. Do I leave him behind?

[NoHopeNoScope]

I need to prepare for every possible outcome that is about to come my way. Staying ambiguous for reasons, but I am in a situation where moving to a different part of the country is a very real possibility for me in the Spring of 2024.

My (almost) 28 year old horse is my best friend. He knows my voice. He looks for me when he’s stressed/scared. I see him every single day. I’ve had him for almost 20 years. I am not worried about summer. He has lived in a milder winter climate his entire life (lows in the 20’s sometimes at night. No snow etc.). I would love to bring him with me no matter where I go, However, his happiness and health is most important to me, and I will find a way to cope with not seeing him if it means he is better off. Whether he comes with me or not, he will need to move to a facility that is better equipped to care for the frequent feeding needs of senior horses next year.

I would love to hear everyone’s opinions on moving older horses to a completely different climate and trailer older horses long distances. He is currently healthy and sound, but he does have some arthritis/low ringbone in his front leg controlled with Equioxx. I would like to prepare for every possibility so that I am better educated on this before Spring and can emotionally prepare for whatever that means with him. It would be very hard for me to not take advantage of the time I have left with him during his senior years, but I also understand that his needs come before mine. I do not have full control over where I end up next year.

Thank you in advance!

[trubandloki]

Unless there is a medical reason for the new climate not being something your horse can deal with, I see no reason why taking your horse with you can not happen.
There are fancy trailers with air ride and box stalls that will make the move easy on your old man.

Probably the toughest part will be finding an appropriate boarding barn from a distance.

[Marla_100]

I agree- don’t chintz on the shipper. Take him with you.
Those huge semi’s have large box stalls and comfortable
air ride shocks plus very experienced handlers.
They usually come off the trailers quite relaxed.

[SMF11]

I board retired horses and have had older horses than yours ship distances. One was also 28 and came from Indiana to NY’s Hudson Valley – and he was totally fine!

[keh]

I wouldn’t leave him, especially if you’re saying he needs to move barns anyway. If you move him & he doesn’t adjust, then you tried. Imo, far better than being left behind to uncertain care. I’ve been involved in horses for 40+ years & sadly, rarely do I see the horses of absentee owners being cared for as I would. You know him & he knows you. You can be on top of his care & help manage him through this transition. Talk to your vet about trailering. Plan out overnight rest stops & have a contingency plan if he needs fluids upon arrival. Has he ever shipped professionally? An air ride rig may be easier on him. Good luck & thank you for being a conscientious owner.

[Weezer]

I agree that he should be fine to ship. I’d splurge for a professional shipper who can give him a video-monitored box stall. If you can, it also might be worth trying to get him used to drinking water with electrolytes so he has consistent tasting water through the transition. In a perfect world, you’d also bring a few bales of his current hay with you on the move so you can transition him over to the other hay over a couple of days.

When I used to move my horse around a fair bit, I never did any of that. But I think I’d be more cautious with an old guy. My horse is now 29 and he is a bit more sensitive to change. But I would risk taking him with me. The reality is that at this age, they’re already into extra innings and one day is going to be his last day, no matter what we do. Keep him close by.

[2tempe]

Without details what type of climate might you be moving to? I know people who have relocated horses (myself included) from Great Lakes area to Florida. Most prefer to do in the fall if they can so that the heat adjustment is easier. But - I moved my then 19 yr old TB end of August and he actually did not have any adjustment problems.
Agree with earlier posts - if he has to move, bring him with you if you can find a suitable place. I, for one, am unable to have even my retired horses too far away. I might only see them once a month, but like the idea that I can be there in a hurry if necessary. For sure splurge on the shipper. And make sure they are ok with you calling to check in every 30 minutes The guy I hired for my TB said “dont expect me to remember to call you. but you can call me anytime”

[2DogsFarm]

Another vote for a good shipper.
My WB arrived to my IN farm from FL in 36h.
Airride semi so big we had to unload him from the road. He walked off totally chill on 12/10 with only a cotton sheet. He was 15 at the time.
He’d been bred in Queensland, then 9yrs in FL, so never experienced Winter. But he had zero issues & in the 5yrs I had him, never got more than plushy in Midwest cold.
In his rarely-worn blankie (with 13h pony pal):

[RhythmNCruise]

I read your post and then saw that everyone else was saying what I had in mind to say: get the professional hauler with the fancy air-ride and posh box stall. I remember working at a barn and being there when a mare came in from literally the other side of the country. She started in Seattle and was brought to us in eastern North Carolina. Obviously she had a few stop-overs along the way, but I tell you that mare looked fantastic walking off her luxury ride. And the people attending her were total professionals and took great care of her.

Along with that, I think your boy would be happier moving with you. Horses are peculiar critters, and it sounds like yours knows you’re his person and I can imagine being parted from you might stress him out. It’ll probably stress you out too. If he’s going to have to move to an unfamiliar place regardless, make it be to a place where he’ll see your familiar, friendly face regularly. A place where you can make sure he’s getting the care and attention he needs. He’s known you for the majority of his life. 20 years of history and friendship is an amazing gift. A few hours or days traveling to a new home will be nothing compared to that.

Are you moving to a colder climate? You mention that he’s used to mild winters. In my personal opinion, heat is much more difficult for horses to handle than cold. I’d feel better moving any horse from a warmer climate to a colder climate than vice versa. My own gelding probably wishes I’d move him to Alaska. He hates hot weather and our summers are brutal here with the suffocating humidity and heat.

So yeah. I say take him with you. <3

[vxf111]

I’ve transported older horses. As long as he’s sound to ship, he’ll be ok. Believe it or not I think horses fare better in the cold than the heat. My older horses didn’t do worse in the snow as long as they had sufficient hay and shelter. Find a place where the care is good and a careful shipper and take your horse.

[Texarkana]

This might be “duh” obvious, but finding a suitable boarding barn is the hardest part of moving an old horse (I assume you are boarding).

I’ve done a few cross country moves and no fail, the first barn I end up at is usually less than ideal. It’s really tough to find a good barn without boots on the ground and some familiarity with the area. And it’s even tougher when you have an aging senior horse.

But otherwise, I wouldn’t have any qualms so long as the new location can meet the needs of an aging horse. I wouldn’t want to go from a life of large, lush pastures to tiny dry lots in the desert or anything drastic like that, but horses generally adapt to seasonal variations fine.

[swmorse]

I can’t say any more than what’s already been said

If you can get a line on a good shipper and aren’t worried about leaving him at his current home for 30 days, you could move yourself and find him a new place, then have him sent to you

Good luck whatever happens

[Weezer]

It might be a good idea to start him on probiotics or a gastro supplement to help keep his gut moving smoothly. Over the last year, my senior has started to develop occasional gas colic. Before this he’s never colicked in his life. I already had him on a probiotic, but since adding Gastra-FX daily, he hasn’t colicked and is generally more lively. The directions for the Gastra-FX say you can just give a double dose before an event that may be stressful.

[Jarpur]

A friend moving here from out of state shipped her 30 something gelding a considerable distance, in the manner and style already suggested above. My husband and I were the ones designated to meet the professional shipper (the owner arrived later). Her old boy walked off the trailer looking great.

I agree that the trip isn’t necessarily hard on an old horse just because of age. Depending upon the distance, it’s only a day or two (with possibly an overnight at a hub), in comfortable conditions, being cared for by experienced experts.

[Simkie]

A vet once said to me, when discussing treatment for an elderly animal:

“Age is not a disease”

And I often come back to that when contemplating care of my older pets.

While age may bring with it complicating factors, age alone isn’t usually a road block.

I whole heartedly agree that it sounds like this guy will ship just fine in a box stall on an air ride. I wouldn’t consider hauling him long distance any other way.

[RMJacobs]

I moved from Colorado to South Carolina with a pony who was in his 30s. I got him a box stall on an air ride semi, and he did great. He came off the trailer acting like he was ready for another road trip (he always liked going places). He liked his boarding situation in SC, as the BO bred a couple of mares, and my boy loved the babies. He also like the heat, always detested winter in Colorado. He lived another couple of years after the move, and I was so glad to have him nearby.

My only reasonable options when I moved were either to take him or euthanize him. He was reasonably healthy and enjoying life, so of course he came, too. He was already retired due to cataracts, but he seemed to adapt to the new place just fine in spite of having impaired vision.

Rebecca

[WNT]

As far as finding a boarding situation, be very upfront about any senior needs he has. In our area, a lot of seniors/retirees go to field board which will not work if he requires a lot of alternative forage (ie soaked hay cubes, pellets, etc.) if he can’t eat hay part of the year.

Training farms set up for extra care won’t usually take a retiree that’s not getting training/lesson board.

If you want to be more hands on with his care, you’ll need to make sure boarding is a reasonable commute from home/work which can be a limiting factor as well. Look for regional social media pages, for example Northern Virginia has several that are frequented by local boarding programs (and reviews thereof).

[lorilu]

If you decide to take him with you, perhaps take him on a few shorter trailer rides to prepare him… Im assuming he hasnt been trailered anywhere in a few years…

[SMF11]

I always suggest calling local vets to see who they recommend .

Also – as with anything to do with boarding – one size does not fit all. I board only retirees who live out 24/7 AND I have been known to feed soaked hay cubes for years at a time to horses that cannot eat hay. (I soak in large coleman coolers, which are wheeled out to the field). That said, because it’s so much more work, I would not take a new boarder with such high needs. The horses I fed hay cubes to had all been with me for 10 years and had many years of low maintenance care to balance out the years when they were more fragile and required more intensive care.

[anon55755751]

@SMF11

I always suggest calling local vets to see who they recommend .

Will vets actually answer this question? When I have tried this, the vet I asked indicated there may be ethical concerns with answering this question. Maybe I was misinterpreting though.